Ridge's big sacrifice could backfire on him; plus, Steffy ought to worry about her job, not Sheila

Steffy huffed and puffed and threatened to blow Sheila's house of cards down, but what Steffy ought to be protecting is her job. Ridge gave it away to Eric, and while some think it's just until death does Eric part, here's why Ridge's rare act of altruism might make Eric's return to Forrester permanent. Plus, was Eric really so wrong about his gowns? Let's scoop!

It was the preview of Eric's dreams, and Katie hosted it with sheer perfection, describing the gowns in stunning detail. The setting was intimate and sophisticated -- even if the guests weren't. With Eric declaring that the day was his and that he'd done his best work, his win seemed to be a fait accompli. Except it wasn't. After Carter had tallied all the bids, Carter claimed that Ridge, not Eric had won, turning Eric's grand finale into the great pumpkin.

It might go without saying, but I am Team Eric all the way. I do not get how Eric could lose. How could Eric, dying from a fatal illness, request to produce a final collection, only to be told that he needs to retire and play pickleball -- and the person who told him that beat him in the final competition of his life? Now Eric is looking like the foolish Emperor Who Has No Wins, believing he won a competition that he lost. Something just isn't right about that, folks.

How can it be that Eric and many other characters said Eric was designing at the top of his game, like never before, but Eric failed to sell out his gowns at the show? I cannot understand how it can be that Eric loses because a novice to couture, Esther Valentine, went shopping that day. Eric said he could see it in the crowd that he'd won. Is Eric really so far off his game that he can't even recognize that it's not his gowns the crowd is ahh-ing over?

I think something else is going on here. After all, what was the purpose of the scene during which Katie tells Luna that Katie wanted one of the gowns, hadn't put her bid in yet, but wouldn't take no for an answer? Could Katie buy the final gown that makes the win a tie? Or, like a lot of throw-away dialogue on this show, will the writers forget Katie ever said it?

Eric deserved to win because he is the master. He doesn't deserve to die with his family pitying him and handing him wins. Personally, I think Luna finding Eric's old stapler is a sign of things that might develop with Eric's condition. Could it be that, like a stapler discarded but now found, Eric, who has discarded his healing, might find a cure?

Maybe. And in addition to that cure, Eric might need a tetanus shot after handling that old, rusty stapler. If Eric finds that miracle cure for his mysterious illness, that could make Ridge's temporary sacrifice of the CEO position permanent. If Eric doesn't die and remains the leader of the company, what would that mean for Steffy and HFTF?

While we're on the topic of cures for Eric, are there not at least three doctors in Eric's family? Can no one consult these people about his illness? It stunned me that when Brooke found out Eric was dying, the first person she thought needed to know was Ridge, not her and Eric's daughter, Dr. Bridget Forrester. Brooke knows from her egg-freezing days that she can count on Bridget in a medical crisis.

Next, there are the two Dr. Finnegans. They could have what it takes to cure Eric -- or at least make a referral. Eric doesn't want his family to know he's dying, but that ship has sunk. If Li is down with stealing hospital patients, and Bridget doesn't mind letting a patient believe she's still married to her ex-husband, then surely a little thing like the HIPAA Privacy Rule won't matter. They need to get Taylor to steal his records, and then they need to figure out a cure.

First, the Forresters have to find out if Eric is indeed dying, or if, like the stapler, he can get dusted off and keep on stapling. Whatever happens, someone needs to at least tell the former co-CEO Steffy, who seems to be the last to know that there was a competition, she lost her job, and her grandfather could be dying. Welcome home, Steffy.

Liam asked Steffy to return home to him, not Finn. So, what does the defiant, backpacking mama do? She returns home to Finn, not Liam. That's why I'm gonna need Finn to have several reclining seats about the topic of Liam trying to take his wife. Steffy is Finn's to lose, and if he can't stop whining about Liam and become the Robin to her Batman against Sheila, the Cat Woman with nine toes, then he deserves to lose Steffy.

Does anyone else have a feeling Steffy did come home for more than Finn? Something "more" like a shoving match with her birth-o-logical mother-in-law? Steffy left town, running scared, but returned to let Sheila know that it was Steffy's city, and Sheila wouldn't run her out of it. I must have missed the part where Sheila threatened Steffy and ran her off. I thought Steffy spooked herself and ran off, making this new tough act seem just a little crazy.

As it seems, Sheila merely wants to lead a mundane life of tea and crumpets and to crack her man's vertebrae after a long day's work. She wasn't looking for a fight with Steffy, but there Steffy was, at Sheila's residence, shoving Sheila. With Sheila not striking back in over a year, I have to say, the "Tell-Sheila-off-and-assault-her" carnival ride is getting old. I'm not interested in watching character after character line up to cream-pie Sheila in the face. If they want Sheila in jail, they need to have the guts to sacrifice Taylor or kindly shut up.

What will Liam say when he finds out that his phone call brought Steffy home to her husband? I sense that even if Liam's head gets bloody, he'll still proceed to bang his head against Steffy's brick wall. And what of her job at Forrester? Will she be like Brooke and sink into an obscure position that no one knows? Or will she actually address how she got railroaded out of her CEO's chair for a pissing contest between her dad and grandfather?

Looking ahead to how the year winds up, the spoilers for all the storylines have been unveiled, and unfortunately, it's more of the same. Brad Bell told Soap Opera Digest that it will include fun, laughter, and tender family moments. He anticipates many tears, too, and the return of the characters Thorne (Windsor Harmon) and Bridget Forrester (Ashley Jones). Does the December return of these characters indicate that someone has died or two someones are getting married?

The fashion wars continue to brew as Zende feels some type of way about apprentice R.J. leaping past Zende in Couture. I don't blame Zende. I recall him and Eric working together on Couture around the time they were pulled onto Hope's line. Zende should be miffed that he wasn't called upon during the competition and had to make himself relevant by fixing a flaw in one of Ridge's gowns. Zende will also be curious about Luna.

Speaking of Luna, the mystery surrounding her, Poppy, and Li continues to unfurl. Bill and Liam will be on the periphery as Liam continues not to take no for an answer from Steffy. No word on Katie and Bill, leaving me to guess Bill did indeed take no for an answer from Katie. Deacon and Sheila's story of redemption continues and reaches a dramatic climax. Will we discover that Sheila had changed, or is she just settling for Deacon because she can't have Finn?

In another story about change, Hope, another "settler," keeps plugging along in her "situationship" with Thomas. The writers continue to explore whether Thomas can be a leading man or if he'll be the villain once again.

That's it. That's all the scoops! Thanks for making it this far. Please tell us what you think about the topics in the comments section below, and until we scoop again, be bold and beautiful, baby!Chanel

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